In this guide, you will learn how to hack terminals to get past doors and other obstacles while playing Fallout 4. Hacking also allows you to control enemy security systems and discover more about the game’s lore. You can even find secret quests.
Hacker Skill Ranks
The ability to hack terminals in Fallout 4 as well as proficiency is determined by the Hacker skill found in the Intelligence perks tree. Hacker requires an Intelligence perk level of 4 to unlock.
Here are the four Hacker skill rank levels, and what they allow the player to do.
| Rank | Level | Ability |
| 1 | Any | The player can hack Advanced terminals. |
| 2 | 9 | The player can hack Expert terminals. |
| 3 | 21 | The player can hack Master terminals. |
| 4 | 33 | The player never gets locked out of a terminal when things go wrong. |
You can progress the Hacking skill by repeatedly opening terminals you discover throughout the game, but if you want to max it out instantly, consider the use of console commands to cheat.
How to Hack a Terminal in Fallout 4
To hack terminals in Fallout 4:
- Find a terminal you need to hack. Consider quick-saving here.
- Ensure you have a high enough Hacker skill level to open it.
- Interact with the terminal.
- You will see a screen with a bunch of words, one of which contains the password. Selecting a word counts as one attempt.
- The number of available attempts to hack the terminal will update with each failed attempt.
- If you fail all attempts, you must wait a short duration for the terminal to reset. Reload a quick-save to start over or exit the terminal with one attempt left and interact with it again to reset.
Analyzing Likeness
The way to determine which word matches the correct password is through analyzing Likeness. This refers to the number of letters that align with the intended password. Both the position of the letter and the letter itself must match with the correct password to increase Likeness of getting it right.
Example: if the password is “BOLD”, and you select the word “BODY” on the terminal, the word would display a Likeness rating of “2”, because the letters “B” and “O” are in the same spot. However, if you chose the word “LOCK”, the word would display a Likeness rating of “0”, because the letter “C” is not the first letter of the password.
Special Characters
Sometimes, while hacking terminals, you will see sets of special characters. If you choose a group of symbols enclosed within a set of brackets, such as <>, {}. []. or (), the terminal will reset your number of tries or delete words that do not match the correct password.
Hacking Aids
There are two additional permanent bonuses you can acquire for the player character to effectively boost your hacking skills in Fallout 4.
| Hacking Aid | Bonus | How to Get |
| ‘Close to Metal’ Perk | Grans an additional guess and reduces lock-out timers on terminals by 50%. | Max out affinity rating with Nick Valentine. |
| Science Bobblehead | Always have an extra chance to guess a password | Vault 75 |
Bringing Nick Valentine with you as a companion will help you easily access terminals without investing in the Hacker perk. He is available after rescuing him during the main quest of Fallout 4. Valentine can hack any terminal regardless of difficulty level, but there is always the chance he will fail.
Fallout 4 is an open-world action RPG developed by Bethesda Softworks and released worldwide in 2015 for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.